INEX Innovations Exchange Pte. Ltd., a leading women’s and fetal health diagnostics company announced that Australian listed healthcare company, Primary Health Care Ltd, has signed an exclusive distribution agreement for iGeneScreenTM Prenatal Test in Australia. The agreement covers all the territories and major cities in Australia, including Sydney, Perth, Melbourne, Brisbane and Adelaide.

This represents a major step forward over the current invasive amniocentesis or chorionic villus sampling that most “at risk” pregnant mothers are offered to take. Current routine prenatal testing methods such as the Nuchal Translucency Scan and Triple Test have high false positive and false negative rates.

Primary Health Care through its network of practices is one of Australia’s largest pathology providers with approximately 100 pathology laboratories, and 1500 collection centres around the country. The agreement will allow patients to access this testing service through Primary’s laboratories.

“This agreement signals our progress in facilitating the adoption of an important test in the Australian market. We are delighted that pregnant mothers can now have access to a non-invasive prenatal test, and that they no longer have to endure the stresses associated with existing prenatal tests,” said Sidney Yee, Ph.D., Executive Director of INEX. “We look forward to working closely with Primary Health Care in launching the test across major cities in Australia in the coming months.”

Announcing the agreement, Dr. Narelle Hadlow, a pathologist at Primary Health Care Ltd’s Western Australian pathology practice said, “This announcement is another significant step forward in our practice’s aim to provide better health care insights to doctors so as to improve the care of their patients. The reach that our laboratory network can provide patients will ensure that this innovative technology will be available to pregnant mothers nationwide.”